This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

The Associated Press had boasted, for years, of being the world's largest news organization.

No longer.

And on Monday it announced it is cutting a further 8% of its staff, through buyouts and layoffs.

Its own announcement confirmed, "The move is part of what is expected to be a dispiriting end-of-year period in the news industry, which is beset by business woes that go back years."

Daisy Veerasingham, the conglomerate's chief, told staff members, "Our customers — both who they are and what they need from us — are changing rapidly. This is why we've focused on delivering a digital-first news report. We now need to accelerate on this path."

In fact, Gannett and McClatchy chains both told the organization this year they are halting their purchase of the news from the wire service, which first came into being in the 1800s when news was transmitted from one city to another via telegraph.

The web has made such a service virtually useless.

As part of diversifying its revenue, the wire service has begun taking "philanthropic funding," in which various entities contribute funding for various reporting topics, such as climate or science, raising the prospect of outside influence.

The News Media Guild, representing writers and photographers, said 121 of its members would be offered buyouts. The AP said there would be fewer, but didn't provide a number.